Chapter 6 - The Rumor Mill in Midlothian
Life in Midlothian was built on two things: pristine lawn care and vicious, whispered gossip. For thirty years, my mother, Diane, had reigned as the undisputed queen of both. She knew who was cheating on whom, whose mortgage was underwater, and whose teenager had been caught skipping choir practice. But by November, a new kind of whisper was slithering through the manicured hedges—one that Diane couldn't control.
It started at the local farmer's market. Mrs. Gable, a woman who had known me since I wore bumblebee overalls, cornered my sister Raquel by the organic honey booth.
"Raquel, dear, I haven't seen Imagin at church in months. And word on the prayer chain is that she had a baby girl. Is everything all right with your parents? Your mother has looked so... stressed lately."
Raquel, who had been coached by Mom for weeks to stick strictly to the family script, flashed her best plastic smile. "Oh, Imagin is just... exploring a very unconventional lifestyle choice, Mrs. Gable. You know how artistic types get. She’s taking a break from the family to focus on her little project."
"A project?" Mrs. Gable blinked, her spectacles sliding down her nose. "People don't usually name projects Tilly, do they? My cousin's dog walker said she saw your father looking at cribs at Target, but then he put them back like he was mad."
Raquel’s face flushed a furious, ugly crimson. She muttered an excuse about needing fresh basil and practically sprinted to her SUV.
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When Raquel reported this back to Mom over an emergency landline call—because landlines couldn't be screenshotted or traced—Diane felt her carefully constructed suburban empire crumbling. If the neighbors figured out that the great Diane and Gerald Torrance had been publicly abandoned by their unmarried, independent daughter over a grandchild they pretended didn't exist, their bridge club presidency and country club standing would evaporate overnight.
Mom needed a fix. And since she couldn't break my unbreakable boundaries, she decided to deploy the ultimate nuclear option: Aunt Teddy.
